Station or street indicator for cars.



G. M. DICKINSON.

STATION 0R STREET INDIOATOR FOB CARS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 18, 1907.

923,341. Patented June 1,1909.

3 SHBETB-SHEET 1.

G. M. DICKINSON. STATION 0R STREET INDI OATOR FOE CARS.

. Patented June 1, 1909.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3-,

INVENTOB CayMDicKmson I A s to be operatively connected with a definite "i rock shaft to operate the rollers.

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CARY M. DICKINSON, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

STATION OR STREET INDICATOR FOR CARS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARY M. DIoKrNsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and. useful Improvements in Station or Street Indicators for Cars, and do declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to station or street indicators for cars, and the invention consists in a construction of indicator adapted rotating part of the car, say the front axle, and to show to the passengers on the inside of the car the names or numbers of the streets successively approached by the car, allsubstantially as shown and described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the machine without the casing, and Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof viewed from the left of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail of certain gears as hereinafter fully described, and Fig. 4 is a cross section on line 4 i, Fig. 8, looking outward or to the left from said line. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the machine on the line of the roller rocking shaft and the respective paper carrying rollers above the same. Fig. 6 is a cross section corresponding to 6*6, Fig. 5, and Fig. 7 is a cross section on line 77, Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a sectional view of the machine on a line corresponding to 8-8, Fig. 1. Fig. 9 is a cross section on line 7*7, Fig. 5, looking inward, and Fig. 10 is a detail in perspective of an arm and cam adapted to work with the Fig. 11 is a section of a portion of the main frame corresponding in part to Fig. 9, and showing certain details thereon.

The invention as thus shown provides an indicator for street cars which automatically brings the name or number of a street plainly to the view of the passenger in the front of the car, and makes the changes from one name or number to another successively as one street after another is passed, as will now clearly appear. Thus, the indicator or machine is built with a suitable supporting frame F, adapted to be fixed in the front and top of the car where it will be most clearly visible to the passengers and which frame Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 18, 1907.

carries all the operating parts. Saidparts Patented. June 1, 1909.

Serial No. 402,600.

comprise two rolls or cylinders A and B adapted to carry and wind and unwind the street name carrying sheet It, and said rolls are supported on shafts a and b respectively, through the ends or heads 2, 3, 4 and 5, respectively, and mounted rotatably upon said shafts, so as to leave the shafts and rollers free for separate rotation within limits. Each shaft has a spirally wound spring, 6 and 7, respectively, secured thereto at one end and to the heads or disks 2 and 4 of the rollers, respectively, at the other end, so that said rollers or rolls are controlled as to the shafts by said springs. The shafts themselves have a uniform rotation from the rock shaft S which has a time control according to varying distances between streets, and said shaft carries a gear wheel 8, loosely mounted on its reduced end 15 and which meshes with pinion 9 on the spindle 10 on head 5 of roller B. i

The driving connection for roller B is intermittent and irregular according to distances between streets, and serves to impart a given actuation to both rolls when a street is passed and another is approached. Connection from one roll to the other is at the opposite end of the machine through gears 10 and 12 and idlers 13, thus in any event making rotation of roll A dependent on roll B. N ow, it is to be seen that rotation of the rolls is not the first but the second or secondary effect of rotation of shaft S, there being certain im mediate parts which govern such action in conjunction with springs 6 and 7. Thus, the said shaft has a ratchet or toothed wheel 16 on the inside of gear wheel 8, Fig. 7, adapted .to be engaged on opposite sides, by dogs or detents 17 and 18 respectively, thereby locking said gear against rotation either way, the said dogs or detents being spring pressed and slidably mounted in fixed boxes 20 on main frame F.

An arm 22 is fixed rigidly on rock shaft S substantially at its middle and relatively between said detents, and carries a cam 23 adapted to release one or the other detent according to the direction of rotation of said arm 22, Fig. 10. Said arm carries a spring pressed tooth or pawl 24 slidably mounted on its upper end and having a tooth 25 adapted to engage in ratchet wheel 16 across cam 23, and said pawl is normally held out of engagement with said wheel, as in Fig. 9, by a substantially l\ shaped projection 26 on frame F and onto which said pawl rides and rests by its rear tooth 27 when in normal position, Fig. 9. At its lower end said arm carries a roller 29 adapted to be engaged equally and centrally between two jaws 30 and 31, respectively, which have spring pressed stems 33 in housings 32 rigid on frame F by which stems the movement of said jaws inward is limited, said stems having screw heads and washers at their outer ends adapted to bear against the end face of the housings, as in Fig. 9. Then as either jaw is pressed against its spring by arm 22 the other jaw cannot follow, and the pressed jaw will carry said arm back to starting position when pressure through arm 22 is relieved.

In operation, shaft S is rocked or rotated to a limited degree and at intermittent intervals, all as hereinafter more specifically set forth, and this occurs when change of street names is to be made. The rocking or rotatable movement of shaft S throws arm 22 in like degree, either to the right or to the left dependent upon the direction of retation of the power transmitting cylinder 0, and in so doing, one of the said jaws 30 or 31 is pressed back against its spring, and at the same time one of the detents 17 or 18 is pressed back by cam 23 to permit the otherwise free ratchet wheel 16 to be rotated by tooth 25 on pawl 24 at the top of arm 22 and which tooth and pawl are held in raised position and out of engagement with the ratchet at the beginning of this movement because of the seat afforded to tooth 27 of the pawl at the apex of the reversely inclined projection 26 on frame F.

The movement of arm 22 necessarily carries the tooth 25 of the pawl off its high seat and the pawl spring then forces the pawl downward as rapidly as its tooth 27 is permitted to ride down the inclined face of projection 26 but only part way and until tooth 25 is seated upon the peripheral face of ratchet wheel 16, or in other words upon the end of a tooth, over which it then rides until it drops into a notch in said wheel. This places the pawl 24 in an advanced position in respect to the ratchet wheel to the end that when rock shaft S is released from operative engagement with the spurs on cylinder 0, said shaft and arm 22 with its pawl may be forcibly returned to its normal position and in so doing carry ratchet wheel with it until stopped by the detent which limits the rotation. of the ratchet in that direction. In this return movement, tooth 25 of pawl 24 is not released from the ratchet wheel until tooth 27 again strikes the inclined projection 26 and lifts it free. The final movement of the ratchet wheel to its exact normal position as defined by detents 17 and 18 is brought about by the momentum imparted thereto by the powerful and quick acting spring pressed jaws 30 or 31 which force arm 22 to return to the half way position the instant that arm 46 on shaft S is freed from a projection 40 which has brought the preliminary setting of the parts about. To understand this operation fully it must be borne in mind. that the forward rotation of the rock shaft is merely a preliminary setting of the parts by power through cylinder 0, whereby when the shaft is released the energy stored in the springs of the jaw which has been pressed back will instantly throw the ratchet by a powerful impulse and actuate the gearing and the paper rolls the required distance to display the street names in turn.

The reversely inclined projection 26 plays an important part in withholding pawl 24 during part movement of arm 22 so that advance engagement with the ratchet may be obtained, and in operation, tooth 27 travels on the arc of a circle after riding free off said projection and before dropping tooth 25 into seating engagement between teeth in the ratchet wheel, and upon its return has a corresponding are movement which carries the ratchet wheel along in a positive manner and with such force and momentum that the final movement is always certain to occur al though tooth 25 is disengaged and lifted at or near the termination of the return stroke. As the machine is designed to operate with cylinder C rotating in either direction, the detents, cams, jaws and the like are there fore duplicated on either side of the axial center of the said shaft, but whether rotating in one direction or another, the operation is always the same.

The two projections shown at the top of cam 23 provide backing shoulders for tooth 25 when operating to throw ratchet wheel 1.6 but these projections maybe omitted if the pawl is otherwise firmly supported upon arm 22.

Now, returning, when the depressed jaw 30 or 31 is thrown to center by its spring the movement is carried forward to the rolls A and B through gears 8 and 9, and springs 6 and 7 operate to take up any slack there may be in the paper or other sheet or roll R on which the street designations are painted or printed. The said paper winds from one roll to the other, as the car travels in one direction. or the other on a street back and forth and is kept stretched between them.

Details in the foregoing mechanism are a slightly larger upper cylinder A than cylinder B to better equalize the feed of the paper under the spring tension arrangement hereinafter described. As each shaft (1 and b rotates the springs 6 and 7 respectively also take up slack in the paper between rolls, and a peculiarity of this construction is that the springs advance with each distinct actuation of the shaft, so that they always have the same relative tension and do not wind up on the shafts. To this end also, both springs are wound initially when placed on their shafts at least equal to the maximum demand thereon when a roll is unwinding its paper and growing smaller in outer diameter against another roll increasing in thickness, and in which case the smaller roll must travel faster as it gets smaller. Ordinari difference will not exceed probably inch in rolls, but the difference is suiiicient to require special provision therefor, because with these exceptions the two rolls connected to travel uniformly the same distances. For example, following an operation through roll B by gears 8 and 9 and arm 22, the action is direct on roll B and through spring 7 to shaft 1), thence by gears to shaft (1 and by spring 6 to roll A. Thus, each intermittent movement imparted to roll B will wind the paper R upon said roll and unwind it from roll A by direct pull, the latter resisting this direct pull by reason of springs 6 and 7 which both exert a back pull upon roll A through the gear connections above referred to. This back pull remains substantially constant throughout operations because it must be understood that the springs (in the main) do not unwind their coils, but are a part of the drive connections and rotate with their respective shafts and rolls. However, this exception must be noted, that as the paper roll on roll B increases in diameter, the paper roll on roll A decreases in diameter, which produces a slight difference in travel between the rolls, and a corresponding difference in the tension of the springs. in othe words, the springs permit eoapensating movements between the rolls while the the same time maintain constant tension to rotate roll A reversely to roll B and thereby keep paper R tightly drawn between them and tightly wound upon both. The same results are obtained when the paper travels from roll B to roll A, but there is this difference in operation, roll A is driven by roll B through the springs, shafts-and gears, above named, and not by pull upon the paper, the springs taking up all slack in the paper and compensating for all differences in rotation between the rolls.

Now, referring to the transmitting mechanism for these and the street indicating parts, we have, first, a cylinder C with a shaft 0 on which it is fixed and provided with spurs or projections 40 about its periphery and running spirally and more or less spaced apart according to location of streets in respect to each other. Operating connection is made at one end of shaft 0 by driving pinion 41 meshing with 42 on shaft 0, and the respective feed screws 44 have pinions on their ends in mesh with and driven by gear 42.

A carrier or traveler 43 is slidably mounted at its center on rock shaft S and has threaded ends engaged on feed screws 44, which are rotated by pinions 45 to feed the carrier, and an arm 4-6 is splined. to slide upon shaft S in connection with said carrier and is adapted to engage the projections or spurs 40 on drum or cylinder C as they are successively reached and to rock shaft S accordingly as the said arm passes over said spurs. Cylinder C rotates while carrier 43 and arm 4e travel in a direct line over the same. The power is thus applied through shaft S for operating rolls A and B as and in the manner above ClS31ll)(l, and the time for actuation of said rolls to carry forward the streetnames is likewise fixed by projections 40 and arm 46.

Returning now to pinion +111, Fig. 4, said pinion is fixed on a short shaft on which is a gear 51. operativel v engaged by worm 52 on a transverse shaft 53, Fig. 4:, and two different gears, 5e and 55, are fixed on this shaft and gear 54 is adapted to engage with clutch 56 on shaft 59, while gear engages pinion 58 on a counter shaft, and this pinion meshes with clutch gear 57, thus providing for reversal of rotation of shaft as the machine is to be reversed for opposite direction of travel of the car.

Power for drivingthe parts is applied through sprocket gear on shaft 59 and a clutch 62 is splined to slide on shaft 59 between clutch gears 56 and 57, which have clutch faces to make engagement therewith. Said clutch, in this instance, is operated by mechanism seen in Figs. 2 and 5, comprising a transversely arranged plate P slidable in keepers in the main frame and having a clutch engaging projection 60 on its back, 5. A hand lever L adapted to operate said plate is pivoted on the end of shaft 50 and is engaged with said plate at 61 and serves to throw the clutch into engagement with either of said gears 56 or 57, or to hold it centrally apart from both.

Automatic control of the clutch is by a longitudinal shaft 66, Figs. 1 and 8, having arms 67 and 68 respectively projecting inward at the ends of cylinder C and the said cylinder has, projections 69 and 70, respectively at its ends adapted to engage the corresponding arms, 67 and 68, when said shaft is carried endwise for an operation, as at the end of a trip by the car. To this end an arm 72 is pivotally supported on the carrier or traveler 43, which drops down to shaft 66 on which are two slidably adjustable stops 73 and 74, respectively, and engagement of arm with either of said stops will move shaft 66 axially against its end equalizing springs 75 and bring the corresponding arm 67 or 68 thereon into the path of the corresponding projection 69 or 70 on the cylinder. Then by rotation of said shaft 66 through these means the pinion 7 8 thereon is turned and the clutch is moved by the action of said pinion on rack teeth 77 on the end of plate P. The machine can be set to stop automatically by these means at any predetermined time or place according as steps 73 or 74 are set on shaft 66. A spring 77 has a tooth adapted to engage in serrations or teeth 78 at the bottom edge of plate P and hold it in any position of adjustment.

Actuation of the mechanism may also be by hand through crank gear wheel 80, Fig. 4, meshing with pinion 82 on the end of shaft 53. A friction plate 89 of glass over the face of the exposed paper between rolls A and B helps to keep the paper straight at this point opposite idler rollers 88 and insures a plain display of the street name. In Fig. 6 the plate 89 is shown as apart from the paper to more clearly define the two parts but in actual use the plate frictionally engages the paper for better operative results.

For convenience, simply, the sheet It which carries the names of the streets is referred to a paper, which it generally is, but obviously it might be of any other suitable material, such as a woven fabric or the like, all of which is understood to be included in the generic term of street name sheet.

Respecting arm 72, it will be unr erstood that it depends on which of the stops 7 3 and 74- it engages as to the operation of the clutch.

The respective head or end plates 2, 3, 4 and 5, of rolls A and B have annular depressions next to their respective hubs, or are formed with an annular swell 87 near their peripheries inside next to said depression according to the point of view, which promotes the centering of the name paper or sheet upon the rolls and a straight feed, and also prevents fraying out of the edges of the paper in its run from one roll on to the other. In other words, the curved inside face or swell 87 of the roller end plates reduces the frictional contact at the edges of the paper to a minimum as it passes from roll to roll and practically eliminates wear at the edge. Again, this minimum frictional contact of the paper with the end plates oc curs always at a point quite relatively distant from the surface of the roll and the wrapped paper thereon and in that way acts as a guide to feed the paper without lateral shift thereof on the roll, and thereby prevents irregularity in feed which is sure to occur in time if the paper is permitted to shift ever so slightly to one side or the other on the roll. In other words, greater frictional edge contact on one side than the other will impede the paper in its travel at that side and it will not wind upon the roller as tightly there as at the other side, and this strains the paper and varies the feed more or less at opposite ends of the rolls.

Now, restating the construction and. operation of the machine, it comprises, first, a cylinder C for registering the regular and irregular distances between streets and stations; and, secondly, two rollers, A and B, that reciprocally and automatically roll from each other the paper or sheet upon which are printed the names of the streets and stations. The said cylinder represents practically a spiral gear with intermittent spurs or teeth,-a tooth being placed for each street and. station. The means for operating the device comprises any suitable gear andpower connections which lead to gear 60 from the ear wheel axle, and the speed of the cylinder is preferably timed to that of the aXle so that a change of sign can be made in twelve to sixteen revolutions of a car wheel. Thus the mechanism works very slowly, so that a sudden starting or stopping of the car, or even unlimited speed, will not throw it out of order.

A carriage attached by a key-way on a rock shaft above the cylinder slides back and forth, carrying a single arm or projection 46 that follows the spiral path of the teeth on the cylinder. The carriage is supported on both sides by screw shafts which drive it back and forth.

To one end of the rock shaft upon which the carriage slides is attached a gear, which connects with a gear attached to one end of the lower roller that rolls the paper containing the names of the streets. This lower roller is called the gage roller, because it pulls the paper from the upper roller and likewise returns it. The upper roller is called the take-up roller. These two rollers that roll the paper containing the names of the streets and stations run free on their shafts, but to one inside end of each roller is attached a spiral spring which may be as long as the inside of the rollers will allow. The other ends of these springs are attached to the shafts of the rollers. These shafts are operatively connected at one end by gears which bring the springs, when partly wound, in opposition to each other, so that however little one spring may be unwound the other spring instantly takes up the given motion. These springs control the rollers and turn either way with them, so that they (the springs) are not wound nor unwound any more than what the slack of the paper amounts to, thus holding the tension of the paper nearly always equal.

The disks or heads on the end of the rollers containing the paper are so rounded off that they prevent the paper from crowding and force it to roll perfectly straight.

At the end of each route of the car the machine automatically throws off or disengages itself by disconnecting the clutch 62, so that all the conductor has to do is to throw a sign (he being always on the return trip one sign behind) by a lever V at one end of the machine, and then connect the clutch.

The claims of the inventor are that the principal mechanical movement of this machine, namely,-the mechanism that registers the streets and stations regardless of the distances between them and the mechanism that automatically rolls and takes up the slack of the paper containing the names of the streets and stations, together with the collars on the rollers for rolling the paper straight; the mechanism that automatically throws the lower or gage roller that contains the paper, and the mechanism that automatically disconnects the machine from the car by a clutch, are comprised within the present invention.

What I claim is 1. The rolls and the means operatively connecting the same, in combination with a rocker shaft having limited rotation, an arm fixed on one end of said shaft and adapted to rock therewith, spring pressed parts oppositely engaged against one end of said arm and operating connections between the other end of said arm and one of said rolls.

2. in a station or street indicating machine, a set of rolls and means to actuate the same comprising a rocker shaft, an arm fixed at about its middle on said shaft, opposite spring pressed jaws adapted to engage one end of said arm, and means at the other end of said arm operatively engaged therewith to actuate said rolls.

3. The rolls and a gear and pinion to operate the same, a rock shaft, an arm fixed at its middle on one end of said shaft, means to engage the upper end of said arm with said gear, and spring pressed jaws oppositely disposed at the lower end of said arm, whereby the rolls are rotated by said arm by rotation of said shaft in either direction.

4. The rolls having each an actuating spring inside and shafts carrying said springs having gear connection, a rock shaft and means to rock the same, a rocker arm fixed at its middle on the end of said shaft, means between the upper end of said arm and said rolls adapted to rotate the rolls on the return stroke of said arm, and means at the lower end of said arm to rest-ore the same to normal position after such :etion.

5. In a station or street indicator for cars, a power driven cylinder having spurs scattered over its surface and a set of rolls having a connecting strip with names thereon corresponding to said spurs, in combination with means to rotate said rolls and move said strip along one name a time, said means comprising a rocker shaft, a carrier slidably mounted on said shaft and feed screws for said carrier and an arm in said carrier splined on said shaft adapted to contact with said spurs and impart movement through the shaft to said rolls.

6. In a station or street indicator for cars, a set of paper carrying drums and means to rotate said drums comprising rocker shaft and a traveling arm thereon, a cylinder having scattered spurs on its surface engaged by said arm successively, and means to rotate said cylinder having reversing devices provided with a longitudinally movable and retatable shaft operatively engaged with said cylinder and adapted to be engaged by said traveling arm.

7. In a station. or street indicating machine, a power driven shaft and a clutch and clutch gears mounted thereon, driving connections for the machine with said gears respectively, in combination with devices to slide the clutch in respect to said gears, and a cylinder having operating connection with said devices, whereby the clutch is disengaged through said cylinder.

8. A station or street indicating machine comprising a power driven shaft and drive connection therewith and a clutch on said shaft to engage said connection, in combination with a rotatable cylinder having spurs on its surface corresponding to the streets to be indicated and an indicating strip and means to operate the same adapted to cooperate with said spurs and clutch shifting mechanism having operative connections with said cylinder.

9. In a station or street indicator for cars, the combination of a set of rolls to carry the street name sheet, a rock shaft operatively connected with said rolls, a rotatable cylinder having projections on its surface corresponding to the streets, a carrier slidably mounted on the rock shaft and adapted to be moved i lengthwise thereon and an arm fixed 011 said shaft in said carrier adapted to contact with said spurs and rotate said shaft, thereby 1mparting action to said rolls, and means to control the operation of the machine comprising a rotatable shaft having an cndwise movement, projections on said cylinder to rotarily operate said shaft, and an arm on said carrier to throw saidshaft into working engagement with said projections.

10. In a station or street indicating machine, a cylinder having spurs scattered over its surface corresponding to the streets to be indicated and power driven means to rotate the same adapted to reverse rotation, in combination with a rock shaft and a carrier slidable thereon, feed HIGCllfUllSlllfOl said carrier and an arm splined on said shaft adapted to engage said spurs and rock said shaft, a slida ble counter shaft and adjustable stops fixed thereon and an arm pivoted on said carrier adapted to engage said stops, and means operatively connected with said slidable shaft to stop the machine.

11. A set of rolls for a street indicating machine having springs in their axes to take up slack one from the other, and intermittent power actuated mechanism engaging one of said rolls comprising a rocker shaft, an arm fixed on said shaft, means adapted to be engaged by said arm to actuate said. rolls, and spring pressed means to operate said parts and to return the shaft to starting position.

12. In a station or street indicating machine, rolls to carry the street indicating sheet adapted to roll the paper from one onto the other, and roll actuating mechanism comprising a rotatable cylinder having spurs corresponding to the streets, and means engage by said spurs adapted to impart rotation to said rolls, said means comprising a rocker shaft operatively connected with said rolls and a device carried by said shaft adapted to be engaged successively by said spurs, an arm fixed on said rocker shaft, and a set of spring pressed members oppositely disposed to and engaged with said arm to return said rocker shaft to normal position after rotation there of in either direction therefrom.

13. In a station or street indicating ma chine, a pair of rolls and actuating mechanism therefor comprising a cylinder with spurs corresponding to the streets, a splined rock shaft and a rocker arm engaged in said spline, and means connecting said shaft with the rolls to impart rotation to the rolls when said shaft is rocked, in either direction, said means embodying a set of spring pressed jaws and an arm engaged thereby afliXed to said shaft, and parts operatively engaged by said arm.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two Witnesses.

CARY M. DICKINSON.

Witnesses:

R. B. Mosnn, F. C. MUSSUN. 

